Contra Callers December 2017

contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net

34 participants
15 discussions

by Rickey

Hi, I am wondering if you have any dances for low numbers of dancers (perhaps 6 or less), when most or all of the dancers are beginners and adults. I am also wondering if you have any dances (presumably different dances), that do not require choosing a partner and are good openers for beginner adults. Thanks as always to all, Rickey Holt.

1 year, 4 months

Re: [Callers] Festival Applications

by robertgolder＠comcast.net

I can only speak with reference to calling at NEFFA, as I have never applied to DownEast. As some of you may know that Linda Leslie is NEFFA's program chair, I will note that the program chair does not select performers for contra sessions. Regarding NEFFA 2007, the following notice is now posted at http://neffa.org/perf_app.html - The Program Committee is not prepared to take your application at this time, since it is too late to apply for this year's NEFFA Festival. Please note that the application to perform is always available during the month of September, with a deadline in October. If you'd like to get an e-mail notice of application availability, send a blank e-mail to NEFFA_Performers-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com So you can note on your calendar that September is a good time to check the NEFFA web site, and also arrange for a notice to pop up in your e-mail. The NEFFA application invites you to come up with a briefly-described theme for your session, with a title of 20 characters or less. IMO, use your own judgment as to how important the theme is. If you are offering a concept that's really meaningful to you, don't be afraid to describe it. If what you really want to do is just call some hot contras, then IMO I wouldn't go overboard on the theme. Unlike Northwest Folklife, callers and bands apply SEPARATELY to the New England Folk Festival. And I believe that this is a very good thing for beginning callers who hope to have a chance at getting onstage. This mix-and-match policy gives a fresh perspective for experienced performers, and can be an eye-opening experience for newcomers who may get to work with seasoned veterans. I will never forget calling at NEFFA with Northern Spy, a band that has worked with caller David Millstone for 25 years. And where was David during this session? Out on the floor, happily dancing to the music of his own band. NEFFA's selection process made that wonderful hour possible for me. For what it's worth, the first year I successfully applied I asked for a "Festival Orchestra" slot, which means that instead of calling a themed, hour-long session I called two dances in the Main Hall with the assembled orchestra and then got off the stage as the next Festival Orchestra caller had a turn. IMO, the key here (as well as in submitting a session proposal) is to choose dances that you know by heart, can teach well, fully believe in, and love to share with a crowd. You don't want to have second thoughts as you approach the microphone. If you're wondering why performer applications are required so far in advance of a festival, note that NEFFA may have 1700 performers, many of whom perform in multiple sessions (perhaps performing alone, and with a participatory dance group, and also with a concert performance group!). You can't doublebook a performer (or larger groups to which she may belong), you have to give her time to move from one venue to another, plus a bunch of other scheduling etceteras that would drive me loony to contemplate further. How scheduling was done in the days before computers is beyond me. -- Robert Jon Golder 164 Maxfield St New Bedford, MA 02740 (508) 999-2486

3 years, 11 months

Calling a Halloween dance tonight? Try this circle mixer...

by Amy Cann via Callers

I try and call the dances of Rich Blazej whenever I can and this one's a Halloween favorite, re-done as "Werewolves and Zombies". *Garfield's Escape* -- circle of couples PLUS ONE EXTRA in the center (Garfield) A1 All into the center EIGHT steps and back, menacing the Garfield A2 Circle left, circle right B1 Women (werewolves) promenade single file to the right, while men (zombies) "star" by the right -- each man puts his right hand on right shoulder of the man in front - including Garfield. B2 Caller hollers "Escape!" ("Boo!", or maybe "Braaaiiins") and all men run to the outside and swing with a woman in the outer circle. A new Garfield remains in the center. Rich himself named this after Garfield the comic-strip cat, way back when he was cynical and funny (the cat, not Rich). "The single man remaining at the end of the dance is entitled to a pan of lasagna and some fresh kitty litter". My favorite normal tune for this is the minor jig Coleraine, played at a slightly slower lurch-y tempo, but if I'm lucky the band'll do the Alfred Hitchcock theme. Have fun, just thought I'd share -- and I'd love to hear how it goes if you do it, and what variations emerge. Cheers, Amy

4 years, 6 months

A new(?) dance, written with a gyre

by Luke Donforth via Callers

Hello all, Linda Leslie's suggestion of gyre as a replacement for gypsy bubbled around in my brain and a new (I think) dance percolated up. It has a twist that isn't the gyre (which I consider just new nomenclature); women casting out of the swing to travel from one minor set to another (similar to gent's movement in Scoot by Tom Hinds). I haven't gotten to test it with dancers yet, as I just finished running it through with pegs on my desk; but I wanted to share it in support of a new term. A Gyre for Linda by Luke Donforth Contra/Becket-CCW A1 ----------- (4) Pass through to an ocean wave (ladies left, catch right with partner) (4) Balance the short Wavy line (2) Walk forward (3) Shadow gyre right 1/2 (3) Gents gyre left 1/2 in the middle A2 ----------- (16) Neighbor gyre right and swing B1 ----------- MEANWHILE FIGURE: (8) Men allemande Left 1-1/2 WHILE women cast cw around whole set one woman’s place (8) 1/2 Hey, passing partner by right shoulder B2 ----------- (16) Partner gyre right and swing at home As for the other aspects that have been discussed: I pronounce it with a softer g sound. For reasons unclear to me, gyre has different accepted pronunciations; but (to my knowledge) gyration doesn't. As for using the term (which I clearly support); it costs me nearly nothing to switch and helps make the dance more accessible for some; both in dropping a term some find offensive and making the name more descriptive of the move. My job as a caller is to help share the joy of dancing, and if this does that I'm in favor of it. -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

6 years

New dance?

by Donna Hunt

Hi: I don't usually wake up with a dance in my brain so I'm wondering if it's already been written. Solistice '17 improper Donna Hunt Long waves with ladies facing in A1 Balance wave and Rory twirl to R to NEXT neighbor and Swing A2 Pass through to a wave and Balance, walk forward to next wave and Balance B1 Swing through (turn R 1/2, gents pull by) Partner Swing B2 Balance ring and twirl to right, Allem L neighbor 1 1/2 to make waves Anyone recognize this as a dance already out there? Donna Hunt

6 years, 2 months

New Square-Through Dance?

by Dugan Murphy

I wrote this dance yesterday, but I'm not confident it doesn't already exist under a different name. Does anyone recognize the choreography under a different name? Longfellow's Revenge by Dugan Murphy (duple improper contra) A1 Neighbor balance and swing (16) A2 Long lines forward and back (8) / Gents left hand allemande 1.5 (8) B1 Partner balance and swing (16) B2 Ladies chain to neighbor (8) / Partner right hand balance (4) - Partner pull by across (2) - Neighbor left hand pull by on the side to face new neighbor (2) Thanks for taking a look! Dugan Murphy dugan at duganmurphy.com www.DuganMurphy.com www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com www.NufSed.consulting

6 years, 3 months

Re: [Callers] New Square-Through Dance?

by Dugan Murphy

Thanks, Michael and Linda! I'll write it down as a variation of "Finishing Touches" by Ridge Kennedy. I like the original A1 with a do-si-do too. Dugan Murphy dugan at duganmurphy.com www.DuganMurphy.com www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com www.NufSed.consulting On Sat, Dec 30, 2017 at 9:08 PM, Linda Leslie <laleslierjg(a)comcast.net> wrote: > In my records, I have this dance with a minor variation: > Finishing Touches by Ridge Kennedy > > In Ridge’s dance, the A1 is N do si do and swing. > > Cheers! Linda > > On Dec 30, 2017, at 7:37 PM, Dugan Murphy via Callers < > callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > > I wrote this dance yesterday, but I'm not confident it doesn't already > exist under a different name. Does anyone recognize the choreography under > a different name? > > > Longfellow's Revenge by Dugan Murphy (duple improper contra) > > A1 Neighbor balance and swing (16) > A2 Long lines forward and back (8) / Gents left hand allemande 1.5 (8) > B1 Partner balance and swing (16) > B2 Ladies chain to neighbor (8) / Partner right hand balance (4) - Partner > pull by across (2) - Neighbor left hand pull by on the side to face new > neighbor (2) > > > Thanks for taking a look! > > Dugan Murphy > dugan at duganmurphy.com > www.DuganMurphy.com <http://www.duganmurphy.com/> > www.PortlandIntownContraDance.com > <http://www.portlandintowncontradance.com/> > www.NufSed.consulting > > >

6 years, 3 months

Has this dance already been written?

by Bree Kalb

I composed this to have a fairly easy way to introduce diagonal moves to a group that isn't familiar with them. I don’t usually write dances without a N swing, but my attempts to include one haven’t gone well. Suggestions welcome. If it’s original, I’ll call it ChainChainChain Improper A1 N dosido into long lines, Gents face out; Ladies face in. Balance F&B, Box circulate A2 In these longlines (Ladies face out, Gents face in, partner on the right) Balance the wave, Partner Swg B1 on left diagonal, Ladies chain over and back to partner B2 across the set, Ladies chain to N; Star Left

6 years, 4 months

star to hey?

by Luke Donforth

Hello all, I'm on the road for vacation instead of calling, which means that I don't have easy access to dancers to try things with; so I'm pinging the hive mind. What do folks think about the transition star->hey with the next. For instance: A1 Ladies start left shoulder hey A2 Neighbor right shoulder gyre and swing B1 Circle Left 3/4 Partner swing B2 Ladies chain across Left hand star 1x The ladies have their left hand in on the star, and usually I avoid a left with one, left with the next transition; but I feel like the swoopy nature of the hey gives it some slack. It also sets the gents up for a turn over shoulder entry into the hey. It could be a right shoulder in the middle hey, and a balance and swing. I don't have a passel of dancers to try it with. What are your thoughts? Thanks, and happy solstice and return of the light to you all. -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <Luke.Donev(a)gmail.com>

6 years, 4 months

Etiquette of refusing an offer to dance

by Kalia Kliban

Hi all, Those of us who started dancing 2 or 3 decades back probably remember the rule about sitting out the dance if you turn down a partner offer. A very competent male dancer I know who started around the same time I did (late 80s) recently confessed to me that he never asks anyone to dance because he doesn't want to put folks in the position of thinking "If I don't dance with this guy then I have to sit one out. Oh crap, guess I'll have to dance with him." For the record, he's a totally solid and delightful dancer. To what extent has that earlier etiquette norm either survived or been replaced, and what has it been replaced with? In your dance community, do you have a written statement of the etiquette around this? Our community's statement doesn't directly address this issue. Kalia

6 years, 4 months

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Contra Callers December 2017